We ran east for some time. Skirting around populated areas and possible outdoorsmen, we wound our way to the Olympic Peninsula. I let myself be happy for the duration of the run, preferring the pretense of happiness to what I was really feeling. We stopped and hunted twice, but made good time.
We eventually arrived in a town called Forks. It was a small town but pleasant. I was honestly too focused on not breathing to take in most of it. We arrived at the Cullen's house to a welcoming party. This greeting consisted of a petite young looking woman jumping up and down on the porch while clapping her hands. She might as well have been squealing in delight. When we approached she said a quick general hello and pranced to me.
"Finally!" she screamed. "Do you not know how long I've been waiting for you to show up?" She pulled me into a tight hug. "I've been practically dying to get a good look at you and meet you." She held me out from her and looked at me from head to toe, frowned, and then looked me straight in the eye and said, "Shower. Now."
"Excuse me!" I exclaimed sounded insulted.
"Well no offense but you are kind of a mess." She raises an eyebrow and held up a piece of my matted dirty hair, daring me to contradict her. I opened my mouth to do just that, but just closed it and shook my head. Seeing this as a sign of defeat, she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the house. She pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
"Okay so everything you might need is already here. Need anything else just ask," she smiled and turned to leave, but then remembered something. "And leave your clothes on the counter. I'll bring you some new ones." Once again she turned to leave and when she was at the door she looked over her shoulder and said, "Oh, by the way, I'm Alice."
After taking a very long shower I felt thoroughly relaxed and clean. I got out of the impressively large shower and walked over to the counter to see what clothes Alice had brought me, only to find no clothes for me to wear. Alice had taken my clothes but had yet to replace them. Not really having a choice in the matter I waited for a couple of minutes for my clothes to arrive, but none ever came. Losing my patience, I wrapped my towel tight around my body and stuck my head out of the bathroom.
"Alice?" I loudly whispered. "Alice!" I said louder. Cautiously, I crept down the hallway, looking through doors as I went. Now annoyed, I rounded the corner and said, "where are you-" and was cut off by a solid presence suddenly in front of me. I ran right into the body and stiffened in surprise. I hissed instinctively and lunged at my attacker, pinning him to the ground.
Growling I looked at my attacker for the first time. Once again I froze. Lying beneath me was a gorgeous man. He had beautiful shiny black hair and a strong jaw bone and high cheek bone. He could have easily been a Viking with his barbarically masculine aura and looming presence. He looked stunned but the corner of his mouth was slight turned up and his piercing gold eyes sparked with suppressed laughter.
"Well lass. Hello to ye as well. As for where I am," he said casually, his eyes roamed over my body before him, "I'd say exactly where I wanna be." with this I looked at myself and felt embarrassed. Here I was straddling a man I didn't know in nothing but a towel that was currently revealing quite a lot of cleavage and was really only covering my crotch. I jumped up and modestly adjusted my towel around me, although it still only just covered my butt. The man was still lying on the floor with his hands behind his head.
"Why are you still on the floor?" I asked irritably.
"Enjoyin' the view," he responded, arching an eyebrow at me and giving me a wide grin. I huffed and, with my last scraps of dignity, pulled my towel tight around my body and marched back to the bathroom, all the while I could hear the man laughing uproariously from the floor.
Alice eventually showed up with my clothes. She apologized profusely for taking so long, using her husband returning from a hunt as an excuse. Somehow I got the impression she was not a person to get distracted, but a person who planned things. And her overly dramatic apologizes and mischievous glint in her eyes, led me to think she left me alone, without clothes, on purpose.
"So anything happen while I was away?"She asked casually, confirming my suspicion.
"Oh nothing of great importance," I responded, looking at her from the corner of my eyes. Her face fell minutely. "I mean I ran into a guy looking for you." Her face turned exited.
"Oh what happened?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent, and failing, instead sounding like a barely retrained girl receiving a pony.
"Oh I walked out -in my towel I might add- and tackled a huge... Scottish?... guy." I said neutrality. Alice smirked. I continued, "Yep. Guy's a complete prick though. And a pervert on top of that."
I almost laughed at Alice's shocked and disappointed expression.
"What?" she asked disbelieving. Her eyes zoned out and she had a faraway look.
"Alice?" I asked concerned now.
"No everything is still the same," she muttered to herself. She looked up and, seeing my concerned face, her face lit up and she smiled at me. "Get dressed," she ordered and left.
What the hell just happened, I thought.